Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Teacher’s notes Description

This activity familiarises students with the idea of alphabetical ordering in lists of different kinds, which is a task they may face in the Entry 1 Reading exam.

Time required: 30 minutes

Materials required:

some A4 sized white or light coloured card – enough for one per student. If this is not possible white A4 paper will do

a number of board markers of two different colours – e.g. blue and red

Student’s Worksheet 1 – to cut up for cards. One set per group of 3 needed.

Student’s Worksheet 2 – enough copies for each student

Aims: to familiarise students with the idea of alphabetical ordering in lists

to practise an alphabetical ordering task of the kind they might have to do in an Entry 1 Reading exam

Procedure

1. Give one sheet of A4 sized card to each student. Hand out board markers of one colour (e.g. blue). Ask students to write their surnames clearly and in large letters onto one side of their card. Then hand out board markers of the other colour (e.g. red) and ask them to write their first name on the other side of the card – again, as clearly as possible.

2. Ask 3 or 4 students whose surnames begin with different letters to stand at the front of the class with their cards. Ask them to show their surnames to the class and arrange them in a line in alphabetical order. Then ask the rest of the class what you have done. Elicit an answer like: they are in alphabetical order.

3. Ask another student to come to the front of the class and to stand in the right place in the line. Repeat with another student.

4. If possible, ask a student whose surname begins with the same letter as the name of someone already in the line, to find his/her place in the line. Elicit how the decision is made when the first letter of two names is the same (i.e. using the second letter).

5. If you think all the class understand the idea, get all the students to arrange themselves in alphabetical order. Then ask:

• Why do we sometimes put students’ names in alphabetical order? (for registers)

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6. Ask the class to show the other side of their cards and arrange themselves in the alphabetical order of their first names.

7. Elicit from students other examples of lists of words in alphabetical order. Remind them of the word index. [See Key to Procedure steps]

8. Put students into groups of 3. Give each group a set of cards (Student’s Worksheet 1 Part 1 cut up) with items of clothing. Ask students to put them in alphabetical order. Monitor activity. When they finish, give them the second set of cards (Student’s Worksheet 1 Part 2 cut up) with further items to add. Check that students end up with lists in the correct order. [See Key to Student’s Worksheet 1]

9. Take away the sets of cards and hand out Student’s Worksheet 2. Monitor students completing the activity. [See Key to Student’s Worksheet 2]

Suggested follow-up activities/questions (and answers)

1. Bring several copies of the same catalogue to class – e.g. the Argos catalogue. Ask students to tell you the catalogue page numbers for various items in the index. e.g. On what page can you find clocks? Bring copies of an A-Z or other local area map and ask students to find the page numbers for various places.

2. Ask students to write the names of their street on card, and ask them to arrange themselves in a line alphabetically in terms of their street names.

3. The cut up cards of text-types from Entry 1 Reading Overview Students’ Worksheet 1 could also be put in alphabetical order. Doing so may be useful revision of the names of text-types students may face in the exam.

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Teacher’s notes www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org Page 2 of 6

Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical ordering

Answer keys

Key to Procedure steps

Step 7: examples of indexes – telephone book, catalogue, dictionary, A-Z, book index

Key

Student’s Worksheet 1

Part 1 correct order • blouses • coats • dresses • gloves • hats • jackets • jumpers • pyjamas • shirts • socks • trousers • underwear

Part 2 correct order (Part 1 list with extra items added)

• blouses • boots • caps • coats • dresses • gloves • hats • jackets • jumpers • pyjamas • shirts • shorts • skirts • socks • ties • tops • trousers • underwear © UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical ordering www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org Page 3 of 6

Student’s Worksheet 2 Part 1 correct order blouses caps coats gloves jackets jumpers pyjamas shirts socks ties trousers underwear Part 2 correct list blouses boots gloves jackets pyjamas shirts shoes skirts jumpers and socks can’t be used

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical ordering www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org Page 4 of 6

Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Student’s Worksheet 1 (to cut up)

Part 1

coats trousers socks

jackets underwear gloves

blouses hats dresses

pyjamas shirts jumpers

Part 2

caps shorts boots

ties skirts tops

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Student’s Worksheet 1 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org Page 5 of 6

Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Student’s Worksheet 2 Part 1

Write the words in alphabetical order. Some words are already in the list.

socks gloves coats pyjamas ties underwear jumpers caps trousers shirts blouses jackets

……………………….

caps

………………………..

………………………..

………………………..

jumpers

………………………..

………………………..

socks

………………………..

………………………..

underwear

Part 2

Write the clothes in the correct order in the spaces in the list. There are two you can’t use.

Clothes list blouses

……………………….

………………………

jackets

pyjamas

……………………...

………………………

skirts

jumpers

shoes

gloves

shirts

boots

socks

© UCLES 2009. This material may be photocopied (without alteration) and distributed for classroom use provided no charge is made. For further information see our Terms of Use at http://www.teachers.cambridgeESOL.org/ts/legalinfo Skills for Life E1 Reading Alphabetical Ordering Student’s Worksheet 2 www.teachers.cambridgeesol.org Page 6 of 6